


Gender Roles in the Jazz Age

by eruthiel



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, say no to catty rivalry, say yes to cute solidarity and underrated friendships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 17:57:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3619029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eruthiel/pseuds/eruthiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm fine." She sniffs. "Thank you. A-and I'm sorry – sorry for showing up like this, and for getting snot on your dress, which is lovely, by the way."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gender Roles in the Jazz Age

Annie finds him half an hour after the dance has ended, her Bambi eyes sparkling with Bambi tears. It's late and Craig only came back to his office to pick up his coat, but he moves his hands in soothing patterns up and down her back while she sniffles into his frock. Neither of them speaks.

Eventually Annie drops into the chair. Her head trembles up and down when he offers her something to drink, so he scuttles to the nearest water fountain as fast as his heels will allow. While the plumbing gurgles into action, he wills himself to find the words to make Annie okay. She deserves to be okay.

He has his suspicions as to why she's upset. He always keeps a close eye on Jeffrey at school dances, and he knows Annie does too.

Craig dashes back to his office to find Annie still perched in front of his desk, no longer crying but sadly toying with the fringe on her flapper dress. When he places the cup of water down beside her, she forces out a little smile of gratitude for him; he smiles back before dragging his own chair round to sit next to her.

"What's the matter, Annie?"

"I'm fine." She sniffs. "Thank you. A-and I'm sorry – sorry for showing up like this, and for getting snot on your dress, which is lovely, by the way."

For a moment Craig is distracted by pride in his Twenties getup. "Aw, thank you! Don't worry, it'll come out pretty easily in the wash. What you can't wash away so easily, young lady, is the question of what's got you so down in the dumps." He puts a hand on her shoulder. "Come on. Was the Jazz Age really that bad?"

She gives a half-hearted laugh that comes out more like a sob. "It's not the theme. I'm just... ugh, you'll think I'm silly."

"Annie, honey, it's okay to be silly."

"I really shouldn't be bothering you like this..."

"Listen, until the school counsellor gets parole, I'm the closest thing we have. You're my student and my friend. I want to be here for you."

Staring into nothing, she seems to hover between several emotions at once. "It's not... any one thing," she says at last, and slowly. "It only came to a head tonight. I was getting ready to go home and it just hit me – I'm graduating next year and I still don't feel like an adult, not at all."

He gives her arm a sympathetic pat. "But you hide it so well. Much better than most people do at your age."

"I guess. But it _is_ just hiding. I'm so scared of the real world, I'm not ready! All I see when I look in the mirror is that stupid immature pillhead from high school." Seeing his confusion, she adds, "That was me."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Annie sighs. "I think... some people still see me that way as well."

"Some people with attitude problems and rippling biceps?" She looks at him in surprise, and he just shrugs. "I had a hunch it might be something to do with Jeffrey. I saw you dancing with him tonight. You make quite a couple."

The blush that touches her tear-stained face is very pretty. She sniffs again, then tries to laugh it off. "Yeah, quite a couple! Really funny – dancing with a kid. Look at this!" She picks at the fringe on her dress again. "What do you think he sees when he looks at me in fancy dress? He thinks I'm _cute_. He thinks I'm a joke."

"Join the club," quips Craig, and Annie blinks at him. Maybe that wasn't what she needed to hear right now, he realises. Too late. "Annie, what I meant to say was – Jeffrey doesn't think you're a joke. Honestly. Take it from someone who knows."

Annie frowns. Her gaze drops slowly past Craig's outfit to settle on the floor between their matching heels. "Really?"

"Mm-hm. Look, in ten years' time you might not be any more grown up, but you certainly won't be a kid any more. Your prospects with Jeffrey are only going to get better. Do you think I can look forward to the same thing?"

"Y-you never know..."

"Do you think I have much in the way of 'prospects' to start with?"

"Well, I... um..."

Craig gives her what he's sure is a knowing smile. "You have so much going for you, Annie. You're bright and capable and charming, and – well, some of us could only dream of the hand you've been dealt. Whether you decide to go after Jeffrey – or anyone or anything else you want. You can do anything."

There's a painful sincerity in the way she takes his hand from her arm and grasps it. "Thank you, Dean. And so can you." She catches his dismissive shrug and pounces on it. "You can! I believe in you."

"Well, thank you, Annie. That means a lot to me."

"We can believe in each other," she declares, and they both grin weakly. "Look, if you do manage to snag Jeff, take care of him for me, okay? He needs careful management."

"Uh, if I can manage a whole school, I'm pretty sure I can manage one sulky lawyer," he retorts. Even if Annie's laugh seems a little doubtful, it still makes him feel strangely warm and light. She believes in him.

And gosh, if someone like Annie can feel like a joke, then perhaps a joke isn't such a bad thing to be.


End file.
